Edam

Wednesday cheese carriers at the Kaaswaag and a hop to Volendam

Edam is an easy day out from Amsterdam, with buses from Amsterdam Centraal taking well under an hour. On a Wednesday in July or August, start at the Kaaswaag, where cheese carriers in white haul wheels on wooden barrows, then walk up Grote Kerkstraat to the Grote Kerk and cycle the dyke to Volendam in the afternoon.

On a Wednesday in July or August, go straight to the Kaaswaag, where carriers in white haul cheeses on wooden barrows and buyers settle the price with a clap of hands, all explained in English for the crowd. On any other day, begin at the Edam Museum, in a brick house from 1530, and use the same ticket for the museum rooms in the 18th-century town hall across the square.

Late in the morning, walk up Grote Kerkstraat to the Grote Kerk of St Nicholas, then loop back along the canals past the Speeltoren and over the Kwakelbrug. After lunch, collect a bike at Ton Tweewielers and follow the dyke to Volendam for its harbour and smoked-fish stalls. Ride back in the late afternoon, when the coach groups have left both towns, and end with a drink at De Harmonie on the Voorhaven canal before the bus to Amsterdam.

Young or aged Edam in red wax, and where to sit down

Edam's cheese is mild and smooth, made from cow's milk and pressed into balls, and the export versions are sealed in red wax. In town you can taste it young or aged and firmer. For a sit-down meal the list is short, with La Galera on Gevangenpoortsteeg cooking Italian food among a handful of choices.

In town you can taste it young and supple or aged until it turns firm and sharp; the aged one is the piece worth taking home. Cheese shops in the centre cut to order and will vacuum-pack a wedge for your luggage.

La Galera on Gevangenpoortsteeg cooks Italian food, has an English menu and runs a cafe next door for a late drink. De Prinsenbar on Prinsenstraat is a relaxed pub with club sandwiches and plain, well-made plates. Jimmy Garden on Zuidervesting has a Chinese menu that wanders well beyond China. Hotel De Fortuna on Spuistraat has a good restaurant downstairs and a garden for summer evenings. For smoked eel or fried fish, ride the dyke to the harbour in Volendam.

Edam after the coaches leave

Stay the night to see Edam at its best. Most visitors leave by late afternoon, the canals go quiet, and you can walk the length of town without meeting anyone. Hotel De Fortuna spreads across five old houses on Spuistraat, and an early walk along the Schepenmakersdijk to the harbour is the second reward.

Hotel De Fortuna spreads across five old houses on Spuistraat, with a garden and a restaurant downstairs; some rooms are small and can be noisy, but the setting makes up for it. L'Auberge Damhotel on the Keizersgracht is the other central choice, with eleven tidy rooms. For dinner, La Galera serves Italian food with an English menu, and De Prinsenbar is a simple pub with sandwiches and plain dishes.

The morning is the second reward. Walk the Schepenmakersdijk and out to the harbour on the IJsselmeer before the first buses arrive, when the light is low over the water and the bridges are empty. Book well ahead for July and August, above all for the nights before a Wednesday market, when the two central hotels fill first.